nåja

See also: naja and Naja

Swedish

Etymology

nå +‎ ja, also written as separate words

Interjection

nåja

1. Expresses reluctant acceptance.

   Nåja, det får duga

   Oh well, it'll have to do

2. Expresses partial disagreement.

   – Det gick jättedåligt! – Nåja, så dåligt gick det inte.

   – It went super poorly! – Meh, it didn't go that poorly.

Usage notes

Can be thought of as indicating partial disagreement / "tempering" in general.

References

• nåja in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• nåja in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• nåja in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)